Sell Your Used Clubs Without Losing Your Golf Polo

We’ve all been there. You fork out a few hundred bucks for that brand new set of Pings, play them for a year or two, and then it’s time to trade in again for the latest and greatest.
Unfortunately, trading in clubs is a lot like trading in cars. Buy high and sell low.

Well it’s been our experience that, much like cars, you’re better off selling that old set of clubs outright and we’ve found that online auctions isn’t a bad way to go.
We’ve listed a couple of the better online venues below and some tips on how to get the most out of your listing.

eBay
By now, everyone knows eBay and I’m sure that some of you have even made a few purchases on eBay.So why is eBay a good way to sell used clubs? One word. Exposure.
eBay is the fourth most visited site on the web. Bottom line is if you list it (especially now when golf season is kicking off), they will come. But there are a few things you need to know to get the most out of your listing.

First off, even if you have an eBay account, you’ll need to sign up for a seller’s account. This is a fairly straight forward and signing up is free.The eBay community uses buyer and seller feedback to rate its members. When you buy something on eBay, you have the opportunity to make comments about your transaction.

This is how sellers and buyers alike build their reputation as being honest and straight forth in there dealings. Keep in mind that buyers will generally be leary of dealing with a seller that has no feedback or an excessive amount of negative feedback. So If you’re brand new to eBay, it’s a good idea to gain some positive feedback by bidding on an d buying a few small items before diving into selling. There are so many great deals on eBay that buying a few items really isn’t that big of a deal. Plus, it will give you a chance to become better acquainted with the auction system.

Once you’ve gotten some positive feedback and you’re ready to list an auction, here are a few tips to help you list a successful auction:

• Search for like clubs on eBay to help you decide on an attractive price for your clubs.
• Accentuate the positive features of your clubs first, but be as descriptive as possible in your listing. If there are flaws, scratches, etc. list it.
• Provide several clear pictures of your clubs.
• Although you have the option of setting a reserve price (that’s a minimum dollar value that you’re willing to accept and is NOT known to the buyer) we advise against it. Reserve prices have a tendency to turn potential buyers off since they don’t know if their bid is acceptable or not. Instead, just set your minimum bid to the price you’re willing to accept. That way, everyone knows up front what it costs to become a bidder in your auction.
• Run your auction a minimum of 7 days and make it end on a Sunday evening. The longer the auction is, the more exposure it gets, and Sunday evenings are a busy time for eBay.
• Although the the post office is a great way to ship small items, larger items like golf clubs are cheaper to ship through UPS. Just visit your local UPS store and they’ll help you with everything.
• Ship promptly and be sure to leave feedback once your buyer has received the clubs.

These are just a few tips to help you have a successful eBay auction. If we mentioned everything you need to know about eBay, we could literally fill several pages. If you’re serious about selling those old clubs on eBay, we recommend that you pick up a good basic book on selling on eBay (you can see our recommendations below)

Well there you have it, how to sell your clubs on eBay.

If you want to give eBay a try, you can sign up HEREHere are some great books to get you started selling on eBay

Below are a couple of "how to sell on eBay" books that we like:

The Official eBay Bible

eBay for Dummies

But there’s always more than one way to skin a cat (or sell used clubs), which brings to LiveDeal.com.You can think of LiveDeal as more of an online classified ad than an auction. Although it’s nowhere near the size of eBay, it’s a great service and is quickly gaining popularity. Unlike eBay, which charges a nominal listing fee, LiveDeal offers free listings. Also, it’s geared towards local sales so if you want to avoid the hassle of shipping, you can list your clubs locally. If it were us, we would give this service a try first before heading down eBay street. After all, it’s free to sign up, and free to list your item, why not give it a shot. At any rate, both eBay and LiveDeal are excellent venues for buying and selling.

You can check out LiveDeal HERE

Well there it is. How to sell your used clubs and keep the golf polo on your back.

As always. Happy selling, happy golfing and let the big dog eat!